


Hardly Ideal

by onlymywishfulthinking



Category: Hollyoaks, jarry - Fandom
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, James POV, Love, M/M, Mention of Past Abuse, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28480257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlymywishfulthinking/pseuds/onlymywishfulthinking
Summary: A scene from when James and Harry were forced to sleep in the spare room on the single bed. James's POV.
Relationships: James Nightingale/Harry Thompson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Hardly Ideal

**Author's Note:**

> I looked up the UK single bed measurements and they are 91×191cm - 36×75inch so you can all visualize them cramped up together lol
> 
> I saw [these gifs](https://dailylgbtq.tumblr.com/post/630056288649347072/supernova-2020-dir-harry-macqueen) from the movie Supernova and remembered that Jarry were stuck in the spare room on a single bed and wanted to write a little something. Remember Harry sleeps on the right, James on the left so other way around from these gifs.  
> Hope you'll enjoy :)

“Budge up a bit, yeah?” Harry instructed, pressing his muscular thigh harder against James’s slender one under the duvet.

James was writing down a few last-minute notes on his phone for the court case against Mac. Harry was scrolling through his Instagram feed doing useless things. 

“ _You_ move over,” he quipped back. It was the same routine every night for the past week. When they were both sitting up in the single bed together they could barely fit in it.

“I’m already on the edge,” Harry said pointing to the nonexistent mattress space next to his hip.

James groaned and closed down his phone ready to assume their tight sleeping position for the night. The bedside lamp was placed inside the bookcase in the cramped spare room. He had to lean far over the edge of the bed to turn it off, too tired to get up and do it.

“Goddamnit!” he swore loudly as he fell off the narrow mattress, landing on his hip and hitting his back on the hardwood floor.

Harry’s amused laughter burst through the air. “It’s not funny!” He glared up at his boyfriend who was hanging over the edge watching him sprawled out on the floor.

“Sorry. You okay, babe?” Harry asked, trying to hold back his laughter. Lit up by Harry’s phone screen he could see just how difficult it was for his boyfriend to keep a straight face.

“No, I am most certainly not okay,” he huffed, rubbing his back as he sat up on the floor.

“Aww. Come ‘ere.” He took Harry’s outstretched hands and let himself be dragged up into bed again by the muscular arms. The strong hands pulled him in even further and he nestled his head against Harry’s bare chest. Warm palms soothingly stroked over his sore back and hip, relieving him of the ache. 

A mild scent of vanilla, mixed with lavender and mint, emitted from his lover and filled his nostrils as he huffed and puffed planted firmly against Harry. “I can’t believe our home has turned into a hostel and those two bickering old trouts have stolen our bed,” he muttered.

Living holed up in the spare room like this was a nightmare. It was only supposed to be him, Harry and Romeo in the flat. But now it felt like half the village was occupying their living space. His mother, Cindy, Hilton, and Juliet all had a knack for being loud, obnoxious and demanding. And they were all experts at spreading their things all over the flat. As if the court case wasn’t stressful enough.

James closed his eyes and sighed loudly, frustrated out of his mind. He burrowed in closer listening to his boyfriend’s calming heartbeats drumming into his ear. 

Harry wrapped him up tighter in his arms, carding a hand through his hair. “It’s still kinda cosy though,” Harry murmured softly. James could feel the sweet full lips kiss the top of his head and a small smile spread over his face, momentarily forgetting about his woes. “Well, at least when you’re not kicking my shins or falling on your ass,” Harry added and chuckled amused again.

“You kick me just as much,” he mumbled. It may not be an ideal situation but having Harry there with him made it just about bearable.

~

He stirred awake. Harry’s soft breathing was the only sound in the dark night. His head was still lodged to Harry’s pecs and the rest of his body was pressed up along the shorter one. A thick layer of sweat stuck to his skin. His body felt like a wet sauna.

“Harry… Harry!”

“Mmm. Wha’?” Harry mumbled and placed his heated fingers around James’s arm.

“You’re too hot.”

His boyfriend held on to him tighter, humming content. “Thanks,” Harry answered and James could even hear the grin in his sleepy voice. 

“Not like that!” James said loudly, leaning up on his elbow. “You’re like a human furnace! I’m drenched!” he complained even louder. 

He tried to escape from Harry’s burning body but he only managed to move an inch or two before the edge of the mattress made itself known again. He didn’t much like an encore of his previous meeting with the floor. 

Harry sighed in the darkness. He placed his hot hand on James’s even hotter cheek, tracing over his face and through his hair. The exploration continued down his neck and over his pyjama dressed chest. 

“You’re just a little damp,” came Harry’s conclusion from the examination. James didn’t need the lights on to know that Harry had rolled his eyes at him along with his answer. 

“Just take your top off,” his boyfriend suggested simply and shuffled out of the small bed, taking most of the heat with him. “Now I need water and a wee,” Harry grumbled and left the room, heading downstairs.

James always slept with some sort of pyjamas on. A habit he had started in his early childhood. It was to keep the bruises his father inflicted on him hidden from the rest of his family. Even now, years after the last set of bruises had long since faded, he still dressed the same way. Even though Harry was like a heat blanket, more often than not, he’d still slip into his pyjamas after Harry had discarded him of all his clothes when they made love. 

The pyjamas did not only cover him up but had become a comfort in a way, hugging him tight in the night. As a young boy, he could pretend that everything was alright, that the bruises didn’t exist at all. It was a hard habit to break and right now, going up to fight his father in court, he needed all the support he could get. Even if it came from a piece of cloth.

He kept his top on lifting it to his chest, fanning it up and down for some makeshift air-conditioning. Trying to catch some coolness against his heated neck and cheek, he flipped his pillow over but the cool touch only lasted a few seconds before it ebbed out. He groaned shifting over to his back in the empty bed, stretching out his long limbs. His feet hung off the bottom of the mattress - the single bed was that tiny.

Spacious and comfortable was how it used to be in their double bed. They’d fall asleep wrapped up together on the middle of the deluxe king-size mattress. During the night they’d drift apart to their respective sides, sleeping the whole night through. In the morning hours, it was back to rolling over into each other’s personal space, sharing sweet kisses and teasing touches. 

A chill ran through him and he pulled the duvet up to his chin again, twisting his head over to Harry’s pillow on the small bed. He closed his eyes and relaxed into his boyfriend’s lingering scent on the pillowcase. He didn’t know how he got so lucky to have such a supportive and caring man in his life. 

His midnight sweats were probably not even down to Harry and the single bed. The stress over going up against his father in court was taking its toll on him and manifesting itself as bodily ailments with headaches, short-temperedness and even excessive sweating. This was his one chance to send Mac to prison. It may not be for the heinous abuse he suffered but at least it was better than nothing. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

He turned over in bed again trying to get as comfortable as possible on the less than ergonomic mattress. But he still couldn’t fall back asleep despite having had the full bed to himself for at least fifteen minutes. What was taking Harry so long to return to bed?

He got up and fumbled around with his hand until he reached the bedside lamp and turned it on. His eyes strained against the yellow light and he walked out into the hallway. The rest of the house was dark and quiet. 

He made his way downstairs. The moonlight and patio light streamed in through the bay window illuminating the man he was looking for. “What are you doing?” he questioned exasperatedly at the scene that met him in the living room.

“Sleeping. What’s it look like?” Harry rolled his eyes and made himself even more comfortable under the blanket on the couch.

“Come back to bed,” James told him and turned to trudge back up the stairs to the spare room.

“No.” The response stopped him in his tracks and he turned back around to look at his uncooperative boyfriend. “You take the bed and I’ll take the couch,” Harry ordered.

He didn’t have time for this kind of nonsense. “Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go.”

“I mean it, James. You’re barely getting any sleep as is,” Harry said firmly, giving him a pointed look and lifting his brows to emphasize how serious he was.

“I’m fine,” he stressed, knowing it wasn’t true. And so did Harry. His boyfriend knew him better than anyone.

Harry sat up on the couch, running a hand down his face. “Listen, I’m not thrilled about it either but it’s just until you’ve won the case. Then Cindy will move out and we can go back to our double bed. Okay? Now go and sleep,” Harry ordered him again, clearly not taking no for an answer. 

He closed his eyes, breathing out audibly through his nose. He knew his boyfriend was concerned about him exhausting himself. Harry had told him off several times for pulling all-nighters after already spending all day working on the court case. Them not having their double bed to fall into made it even more difficult to get a good night’s sleep. But he knew not being able to sleep with Harry would only make matters worse.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” James pressed his lips together. He still found speaking from his heart hard sometimes even though he had told Harry several times over the past six months that he loved him. This was different though. This was a symptom that had started developing during the affair and it worsened when Harry left the village. After Harry moved in it turned into a full condition.

“Say what?” Harry asked furrowing his brows, looking confused. His boyfriend really had no idea to what extent and what magnitude his presence had on him.

“That I can’t sleep without you by my side! Alright?” he shot out. Harry’s whole face lit up in an affectionate glow hearing his confession. “So will you please come back to bed now?” James begged, starting to lose his patience a little. 

“Aw, you miss me, Nightingale?” Harry teased. That crooked little grin and tilted head knew exactly what they were doing to him, instantly softening his grumpy mood.

He let the seconds pass in the silence before he answered with a small, wry smile, “Yes.”

Harry moved off the couch and sauntered over to him. His palms stroked up James’s pyjama top and he gazed up at him through his long lashes. “Thought I was making you all hot and sweaty?” The flirty smirk only added further to the irresistible charm.

James’s hands found their way down Harry’s back and came to rest on top of the round bottom. “Well, now the bed’s cold without you,” he simpered in defeat.

James inched closer to the gleeful lips, tilting his head down. Unfortunately, they barely had any time for sex either these days. The court case was taking precedence over all things in their life at the moment. 

He planted a gentle kiss on the plump pink lips, enjoying the sweet taste of Harry’s sensational mouth. “Come back to bed.. please,” he murmured and Harry smiled happily.

“If you insist.” Harry grabbed his hand and steered them up the stairs and back into the small spare room. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you hot again in no time,” his grinning mischievous boyfriend promised and pushed James down on the single bed, climbing on top of him.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he grinned back, quirking his brow before Harry’s addictive set of loving lips landed on his.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. ❤️ Comments and Kudos are always appreciated. ❤️
> 
> _regarding the[Jarry Plus One Series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952287) \- I'm still working on that and will hopefully post part 2 (the epilogue) in January. Had a lot of unforeseen stuff happen that's delayed it._


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